Life Happens
by SparkleGlitterBreathe
Summary: “Life happens. It can be unbelievably strange and unexpectedly new, but it’s life. So don’t push these small gifts away, Ginny. Embrace them,” she finished. Ginny stared at her, “BOTH of you got dropped on your heads when you were babies, then. GD PG13
1. Outstanding Achievements

**LiFE HAPPENS**

**Chapter One // Outstanding Achievements**

**Author – SparkleGlitterBreathe**

**Genre – Romance // Comedy**

**Rating – T // PG-13**

**Characters – G // D**

**Disclaimer – I would be utterly stupid to tell you that Harry Potter belongs to me. Period.**

"**Life happens. It can be unbelievably strange and unexpectedly new, but it's life. So don't push these small gifts away, Ginny. Embrace them," she finished. Ginny stared at her and answered, "BOTH of you got dropped on your heads when you were babies, then."**

**.&.**

As she flipped the worn page of her old book, Ginny could absently hear the familiar train whistle of the Hogwarts Express. The scenery of autumn's beautiful effect on trees and nature sped by the window and she sighed contentedly, smiling as she read a particularly humorous conversation between two characters in her mother's aging book.

The thin pages had yellowed and the cover had lost any appealing characteristics it may have ever had, but _Trained to Love You_ was quite possibly Ginny Weasley's favorite text. The intricate detailing with which every little object was described and how well she could relate to the heroine were what made her fall in love with the beautiful novel, one she was quite sure hadn't ever been printed in the Muggle world.

The plot of the story contained a group of teenagers (_Muggle _teenagers, which was what fascinated Ginny the most; no copies had ever been shown to Muggles themselves) in a gang and how one of them, a girl, had fallen in love with someone completely antithetical, someone she had never been expected to mix with. The beauty and mystery of it all had enticed Ginny and she hadn't ever let go of the book since. She had read it a minimum of fifteen times.

The new sixth year hadn't even noticed as Malfoy slid the compartment door open and walked himself in.

"Weasley, tell me this: what the hell are you doing in my compartment?"

Looking up from the faded letters of her book, Ginny took a few seconds to register what he had said before replying icily, "Since when is it yours, Malfoy?"

He looked unruffled as he drawled, "Since I walked in here and said it was. Are you getting out or not?"

Ginny smiled tightly before biting, "Nope."

His mercury orbs flashed at her as she gazed back, and then he stepped in front of her and looked down at her, "What are you playing at? Do you think I can't get you out of here anyway, just because you won't do it voluntarily? I don't bloody well _need_ you to _volunteer."_

Ginny glared at him levelly and spit out, "Then by all means, Malfoy, kick me out. I don't recall seeing any of your idiot housemates outside. Perhaps you'll have to do it _yourself_ this time. Or is that not _possible?_"

His face devoid of any emotion, he replied, "Oh, I won't even bother, Weasley. Now that your filthy arse has been in these seats, I don't think I'm willing to take it. Go bother someone else with your endless, antagonizing, annoying manners."

"Oh, wow, Malfoy, I really got the gist of that one now. Perhaps you should make the point more clear with better, more insulting descriptions of me?" Ginny reddened despite her confident voice and blank face.

At the door, he paused to turn, look at her and drawl, "What's the point? You're a _Weasley._ Is that not already enough?"

.&.

Once the Sorting Hat ceremony was finished and Ginny memorized the faces of her new housemates, she could not wait to get to her dormitory and sleep. The thought of falling unconsciously onto her clean, cool sheets and not waking up until noon the next day was very inviting, and that's why within a few minutes, she found herself barely managing to catch her head before it fell into her plate as her eyelids drooped.

The warm voice of her concerned friend broke her thoughts away from warm bed sheets and lights out, "Are you alright, Ginny? You look sleep-deprived."

"'S alright, 'Mione. Just need a little more –" she was interrupted by the fact that as soon as the word finally made its way out, her head landed on the table with a loud thud. Fortunately, there were no forks, knives, or spoons nearby, and Hermione felt for the girl, leaving her to lay there with her mouth slightly open as she stood and approached the teachers' table.

Accosting the new Headmistress McGonagall in particular, she said, "Professor, Ginny Weasley seems to have … fallen unconscious at the table over there, I was wondering if it would be alright if I took her to the common room at this time?"

Eyeing Ginny with disapproval, McGonagall shook her head at Hermione, replying, "You will do no such thing. I do not believe I would ever allow you to take her unconscious form around the castle all on your own. I would prefer if everyone stayed together at this time. And as Head Girl, Miss Granger, I expect only that from you, understood? I will especially need your help this year, so please do not disappoint me."

Hermione looked taken aback for a moment before she blinked and answered the woman quickly, "Of course not, Professor. But while we're on the subject, when is our first Heads meeting?"

McGonagall merely answered harshly, "You will be informed tomorrow, along with Mr. Malfoy. You need to see to it that your house gets to bed on time tonight and then, please return to your Heads commons immediately. Anything you need to know will be answered tomorrow. Go on ahead to your seat, please."

Nodding, Hermione sat back down beside her redheaded friend, lightly shaking her. When she received no response, Hermione shook her harder and called her name.

Her friend, in turn, moaned and sat up, blinking furiously against the bright lights in the hall. Smiling, Hermione said, "Try to stay awake, Ginny, we only have about seven minutes until we all separate to our dormitories. Why are you so sleepy anyway?"

"Oh, um … I don't think I got enough sleep last night. I was tossing and turning up until a very ungodly hour, honestly. Ugh, I can't _wait_ to get into bed," Ginny answered in that tone of a person who's not quite fully awake yet, but is trying to sound so very hard.

Harry scooted over in front of the two girls asking her, "You okay, Ginny?'

She smiled despite herself and nodded, "Yes, Harry, I am. I just really need these lights and these … clothes off. Hermione, how much longer?"

The older girl checked her watch before replying, "Oh, about two more minutes, now."

Yawning desperately, Ginny looked around at the other tables. At the Ravenclaw table, she spotted Luna staring off into space as she talked to a group of other girls nearby. Then, Ginny's eyes fell on the Hufflepuff table beyond them, taking in the clusters of girls and guys, all laughing and discussing the summer's events. What she'd give to be in the mood to do the same thing.

She carefully turned her head behind her to the Slytherin table and her gaze settled on Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Malfoy appeared to be discussing something or other with a dark, black-haired boy in his year, who had on his lap what Ginny had come to know as Pansy Parkinson.

The blonde girl had her hair up in a messy bun, but still managed to look presentable. Her face was completely covered in expertly placed make-up, the blue colors matching her hair band. Since they were sitting on the side of the table closer to Ginny, she could just make out Pansy's super short, revealing skirt that showed from under her rich, well-tailored robes. Her legs, facing Malfoy, were intertwined with his, and she threw her head back as she laughed at something one of them had said.

Malfoy chose that moment to turn and glare at her. Her sleepy eyes blurred his face and she blinked to clear them, only find that she was falling, fast, until she could hear nothing of the hall's chatter and see nothing of the angry look Malfoy had sent her. Then, everything was dark.

.&.

Ginny's eyes fluttered, but she managed to keep them closed as she listened to the conversation going on somewhere near her.

"I know it was you! You were glaring at her! You probably put some hex on her! She felt just _fine_ until you turned around, Malfoy! _What did you do?_" she heard Hermione say in a hushed tone, so as not to wake her up, perhaps.

_So much for that,_ Ginny thought bitterly. _Wait a second, Malfoy's here???_

Still not daring to open her eyes, she strained her ears for his unmistakable drawl. It came louder than she expected and she nearly jumped in bed. "Would you shut up for once, Granger?"

As Hermione protested indignantly, he broke her off with a sneer and went on, "I didn't do anything to Weasley, you _mudblood_, and I have no motive and absolutely no opportunity. You know how McGonagall is – she was watching the entire hall like a hawk, she would have seen me, trust me, if I had whipped out my wand and hexed your little friend into this oblivion. Besides, why are you so stuck on making it _my_ fault?"

Harry and Ron had obviously jumped up onto their feet at the rude reference to their friend and were probably making an attempt to intimidate him with their wands, but Ginny could hear the amusement in his voice as he watched them. Hermione probably pushed them back onto their rear ends, judging by the two thumps and yelps, and answered, "Because, Malfoy, you, like I have repeated at least four times now, were the only one looking our way and she collapsed right when you two were turned toward each other. I know you did it. I don't know _what_ you did, but believe me, I will get Madam Promfey to tell me, I will. Don't underestimate me, Malfoy."

After a pause, Harry asked, "Why were you looking at her anyway, Malfoy? I mean, obviously, even McGonagall saw you, so what the hell were you doing looking at Ginny in the first place??"

Malfoy sounded bored when he answered. She figured he was sitting to her left, "I wasn't looking at her at all, actually. Your sister was the one to turn and stare at Pansy, and I saw her. The jealousy in her eyes was actually pretty hard to miss." Ginny thought he sounded a little too smug about that and finally decided to say something.

"You really think you're something, don't you Malfoy?" she muttered as she stretched her arms and yawned.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in the distant corner of the Hospital Wing. Upon hearing her voice, her brother and his friends rushed to her, hugging her and saying things. Glancing at him, she saw Malfoy roll his eyes. He smirked before asking her, "Well, then, Weasley, do you suppose I was the one who hexed you into the next century?"

"Well, I don't think it was you, but I wouldn't be surprised. Malfoy, you are so unpleasant," Ginny added as she scrunched her face up at his position in one of the chairs farthest from the bed. He was slouching, one leg bent at the knee over his other one, both arms on the chair, his chin on one of his hands.

He looked at her strangely before replying, "And you as well, Weasley. To what do I owe these gracious compliments?"

Chuckling, Ginny turned to her friends, "Why am I in here, again?"

Hermione spoke up, "Well, after Malfoy started looking at you, Ginny, you collapsed on the floor of the Great Hall. It's still the first night, about midnight, and you've been unconscious for about two hours. Madam Promfey says you're free to go as soon as you wake up."

Stretching a bit more dramatically, Ginny replied, "Alright. Will you so kindly please tell me the password, then?"

Hermione looked puzzled, "You don't want me to come with you?"

"Oh, I think I'll stay here just a little longer, but I think you should all go on ahead to bed. Never mind that tomorrow's the weekend, you all need sleep – look at you," Ginny motioned to her brother and Harry. Their eyes were half closed as they smiled sleepily.

Hermione glanced at them and said, "Okay, then. Well," she leaned toward Ginny, "the password is Eat Slugs, ironically. I'm going to go ahead and take these two to the portrait, then. Malfoy, are you going to the commons?" She watched him skeptically.

He answered, "Yes."

"Alright. Well, night, Ginny. Feel better tomorrow!" Hermione called as she led the boys out of the infirmary.

Being left alone with Malfoy didn't feel very good to Ginny and she shuffled uncomfortably between her sheets. Soon, she felt his eyes on her. Glancing at him, she said, "Are you planning on leaving anytime soon?"

He countered, "Are you?"

Ginny huffed, "Well, excuse me, but I believe that I am the one in the hospital, not you! Go to bed, Malfoy."

"And what makes you think you can tell me what to do? Better yet, what makes Granger think she can tell you to 'be better tomorrow'? That has got to be the stupidest phrase I've ever heard."

Ginny pursed her lips, "She's being a good friend, but I guess you wouldn't know what that feels like, would you? How many times do I have to say it? Go to bed. Leave me alone."

Shrugging loosely, Malfoy stood, "If you say so."

Raising an eyebrow, Ginny called, "And don't bother locking the doors. I'm getting out of here in a few."

Without so much as a gesture of recognition, Malfoy left, but Ginny didn't hear the locks turning.

Slowly bringing her legs over the side of the bed, Ginny looked at the nearby clock. It read 11:47, and Ginny stared at it for a moment. Then, she brought her hair out of the band she had put it into that morning and brushed it out with her fingers. An image of a pretty, blonde girl flashed in her mind and she began to unconsciously put her hair into the same loose bun she had seen earlier that evening.

Letting a few strands of hair fall around her face, she stood, gasping at the feel of the cold stone floor on her bare feet. Looking around for her shoes, she slipped them on and quickly gulped down a glass of water on the bedside table.

Then, she shuffled out of the Hospital Wing, making sure to attract no one's attention.

As she was walking past an unfamiliar corridor, Ginny heard two whispering voices, seeming to be in a heated argument.

" – don't tell me what I can and can't do, Pansy! I was in the infirmary because the Weasley girl fainted during the feast, and since I'm Head Boy, I was required to be there to see to it that no more harm was done. It's not like I _wanted_ to be there! And I am here now, so leave it alone, will you?"

The high-pitched voice Ginny recognized to be Pansy's whispered back, "You shouldn't even be Head Boy, Draco! They know bloody well that you're a Death Eater. Don't act like you're surprised, I know you've thought about it, too. They have something up their sleeve, Draco, and you might be part of their slimy little plan! Has it ever occurred to you –"

"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't bloody _care_?" Malfoy spit angrily and Ginny heard footsteps coming her way, which she assumed to be Malfoy's.

Lost as to what to do, she stepped back and then continued on her way, acting like she hadn't heard anything. As she walked into the opening, Malfoy froze right in front of her and glared at her, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Shivering despite herself, she looked into the darkness, looking for a sign of the girl that previously occupied the space with him. "I'm j-just walking back to the common r-room."

Malfoy's eyes flashed as he glanced behind him and then around behind Ginny. "Don't lie, you were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

"N-no! I mean, I did overhear a little bit, but I wasn't coming just to listen to you, I didn't even know you were here! I'm sorry, I just –"

"What did you hear?"

"Nothing!"

"You just said you heard something, Weasley, now tell me, what did you hear?" Malfoy's hands were painfully digging into Ginny's arms and she struggled against him, but it was in vain. He had an iron grip on her.

Pulling as far away from him as her position would allow, she whispered lamely, "Just you telling Pansy why you were in the Hospital Wing."

He released her aching arms and brought a hand through his hair. For the first time, Ginny noticed that it wasn't slicked back like she remembered it being for so long before. He seemed relieved and he let out a soft sigh and said, "Hurry up and get out of my sight, or I'll take away points."

Nodding shakily, Ginny scurried down the corridors until she met the familiar portrait and whispered the strange password, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief as it opened and she rushed in, seeing the soft glow of the fire, its warmness expanding throughout the room.

Finally, her eyes fell on the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories and she headed toward it, grinning.

The last thing she remembered was her head connecting with the pillow as her hand fell from the partially closed poster.

.&.

"Ginny? Ginny, wake up!"

Groaning irritably, the redhead cracked one eye open and glared at whomever had woken her from that amazing dream. In front of her, she found one of her sixth-year friends, Jarylyn McCarthy, smiling at her widely. She shook Ginny's arm again, "Wake up! Where were you last night?"

Making a show of moaning and groaning as much as she could, Ginny sat up and patted the spot next to her. The gleeful girl jumped onto the bed, her ponytail bobbing up and down behind her. Ginny suppressed a smile and said, "I seem to have collapsed onto the Great Hall floor last night. They took me to the infirmary. Then I came back at around midnight. Why?"

"Seamus – you know, the seventh year? – kissed Margaretta!" the other girl squealed.

Ginny looked at her incredulously, "You're kidding!"

When the brunette in front of her shook her head, Ginny laughed, "He did? How? When? How did it happen??"

Her best friend, also known as Jarrie, brushed a hand through her thick, brown locks before whispering, "We were sitting on the floor in the common room, just talking about the summer, and he walked up to her and asked to speak to her in private. Of course, she accepted, and he took her near the fireplace. They were talking for a while, then she gave us this big smile and turned to him, hugging him, when he pulled away and planted a big, sloppy one on her lips!"

Smacking Jarylyn's shoulder lightly, Ginny laughed merrily, seeing the image unraveling before her. She could just imagine the older boy giving her friend a messy kiss.

Promising to meet Jarrie in the Great Hall, Ginny scrambled out of her bed, brushed her teeth, put her hair up in the same messy bun she had it in the previous night, and brushed some eye shadow over her eyelids.

Grinning at herself in the mirror, she quickly pulled on a pair of jeans Hermione had bought for her that summer and a sleeveless shirt with glitter sprinkled over it lightly. Not forgetting to cover up, she found an old hooded sweatshirt of Charlie's and pulled it on, surprised that it was no longer hanging below her knees, but stopped rather nicely at her hips.

Giving a slight "hmm" to her reflection, Ginny turned and ran to breakfast.

.&.

"Hey, Ginny, are you alright this morning?" Hermione asked her worriedly. Smiling, Ginny nodded to her and bit into her buttered toast with a vicious appetite.

Lifting an eyebrow, Hermione turned away and began chatting with Harry and Ron about their schedules for Monday.

The redheaded girl could hear her brother exclaim, "Blimey, do they _ever_ put other houses in Double Potions with the Slytherins? This is utter inhumanity!!"

Snorting, Ginny searched the table for Jarrie and Maggie, who were sitting on the end, talking animatedly with Seamus and Dean. Swiftly standing up, she seated herself between the two girls and began a conversation with them as she spotted Malfoy standing near the doors, angrily shoving Pansy off of him. Watching them with interest, she saw Pansy reach for him again before he glared at her and said something quietly. Her eyes widened and she backed up against the wall for support. He looked around the hall once more before storming out.

"Ginny? Yoohoo, can you hear me, Ginny?" Maggie waved a hand before her eyes.

Blinking, Ginny apologized, "I was distracted. Hey, listen, I think I'm going to go catch up on a few things with Ron and Harry and Hermione, what do you say I meet you guys outside by the tree near the lake?"

When the group nodded, Ginny rose and walked toward said trio. Seating herself directly in front of Hermione, she broke off their conversation with, "Something's up with Malfoy."

They looked at her strangely before Ron asked, "What do you mean? We already know something's up with Malfoy. He's a bloody Death Eater, which, by the way, Hermione, did McGonagall, by any chance, mention what the hell hit her head and made her let him be Head Boy?"

Looking at him scornfully, Hermione answered, "No. But she came to our commons this morning and listed our responsibilities to us. It was quite unsettling to see her and Malfoy bantering back and forth until, of course, McGonagall beat him. He isn't scared of her whatsoever! But he stopped bothering me so much. No, seriously, Ron, he still insults me when we talk, but he generally tries to avoid conversation with everyone, which, in my opinion, is a step up for him."

Ginny and Harry snorted, "Like hell it is, Hermione. He is never going to change, no matter how many people have to die, no matter how many hearts get broken, no matter how evil the wizarding world becomes, he will always be just that: pompous, egotistical Malfoy."

Ginny eyed his table as she said these words. Then, Ron asked her, "What do you mean, 'no matter how many hearts get broken'. It isn't like Malfoy could break anyone's heart, I mean why would anyone fall in love with him, right?

Harry looked at his best friend, amused, and then turned back to Ginny, whereas Hermione simply eyed Ron with pity before answering him, "I don't think she means in the amorous way, Ron. She means … no matter how many souls are defeated and people are killed, he will never let a tear escape his eyes. It's pretty scary how he's so closed off from the world. I wonder if he still has contact with his Death Eater friends."

Harry spoke up, "I don't think any of them are _friends_, per se, Hermione. And I think all ties with them were broken when they _accidentally_ killed his father last summer. I don't think he's even a Death Eater anymore."

Ginny pondered this discovery. The Death Eaters themselves had murdered Malfoy's father?

Her eyes fell on the tall blond in front of her, at the table she could just see between Hermione's and Ron's shoulders. Eyeing the two, she wondered how long they'd been sitting closely like that. Then, she looked at Harry to see him looking sadly at his friends as well, and realized that he was beginning to feel left out.

Putting an arm around his shoulders, she comforted, "Don't you worry, Harry. When all of this is over and You-Know-Who is dead, we won't have to worry about who was on his side and who wasn't anymore. Oh, life will be so much easier … "

Looking down wistfully, he smiled and nodded.

.&.

Ginny sat back against the old, thick willow tree. On the ground beside her were two of her school textbooks, scattered, along with a few pieces of parchment and a quill.

She had just enjoyed a happy Tuesday afternoon with her friends, talking, and observing the lake's slow, peaceful motion. Seamus and Maggie were a huge item now among the Gryffindor gossips. They still hung out, but Ginny and Jarrie didn't see the other girl as often. Now, they had gone on to their classes, but she, who didn't have anymore until the next day, stayed behind and enjoyed the quiet by herself.

A low, drawling voice made her open her eyes fitfully.

"McGonagall told me I'd find you here."

"You were looking for me?" Ginny asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

He smirked, "Don't flatter yourself. She wants to see you in her office this evening before curfew. She said it's important."

Ginny nodded and closed her eyes again, muttering, "Thanks."

Half-expecting him to comment on her lack of appreciation for this great deed he was doing and half-expecting him to be gone by the time she opened her eyes again, she was startled to see him looking at her quietly, still standing.

"What?"

There was a silence before he shook his head, "Nothing, Weasley." Then, he walked away, and only after he was gone did Ginny wonder why she hadn't heard him leaving or approaching by the dried-up leaves littering the ground around her. Furrowing her brows together, she looked up into the clear-blue sky and gave a contented sigh.

Then, she did hear the crunching footsteps. Opening only one eye, she saw Hermione put down a few of her books and sit on them. "What did Malfoy say?"

"Just that McGonagall wants to see me tonight."

"Oh." Hermione picked up a stick from the grass and started poking holes in the ground idly. "Why was he looking at you like that?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "What is this, the third degree? I don't know, Hermione, I don't know. If you even close enough to see him looking at me 'like that,' couldn't you have been able to tell, yourself, why he was doing it?"

Ginny noticed the bitterness in her voice late after she could stop it. Hermione blushed and said in a small voice, "Um, no, actually, he would have seen me if I had gotten that close. I was behind those bushes," she gestured to them. "And I couldn't see you from behind the tree trunk. Did he say anything else?"

Ginny sighed, "No, he didn't, Hermione."

The bushy-haired girl nodded stiffly and poked the ground again. "Ginny, are you sure?"

Ginny couldn't handle it anymore, "Yes, I'm bloody sure, Hermione, now either tell me what the hell is wrong or stop bothering me!"

The other girl looked taken aback and then she ground out, "He … sort of … defended you from McGonagall at the Heads meeting this afternoon … I was wondering if you knew what could have brought it on."

Giving her a look, Ginny said, "No, I don't know what the hell brought it on, alright?"

Hermione looked at Ginny for a moment before looking out toward the lake, "Is something wrong, Ginny? You've been very short-tempered with us lately."

"By 'us', I assume you mean you, Harry, and Ron?"

Hermione nodded, looking back at her friend.

"The three of you have been acting kind of arrogant this past week, no offense. I'm sorry, I've been really tired lately. I'll try to treat you better now, thanks for bringing it up, Hermione."

Her friend nodded and stood up, "Well, I need to get going if I want to be on time for Charms with the boys. I'll see you later at the Prefects meeting, I assume?"

Ginny smiled at her, "Yeah. See you there."

When she was finally left to herself, Ginny drew a heavy sigh and prepared herself for the meeting mentally and emotionally. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle her friends' way of treating her like an oddball any longer.

.&.

In her dormitory, Ginny brushed her hair out, leaving it down, and wiped off all of her make-up. Spreading a little bit of lotion over her face one last time, she threw on her robes and flew down the staircase into the common room.

As she began walking to the portrait, her eyes fell on one lonely Harry sitting by the fire. He hadn't seemed to notice her, since he wasn't alone in the room and must have figured she was just another first-year, and she approached him carefully.

Reaching one hand down to his shoulder, she patted him lightly, "Harry, are you alright?"

He jumped, but answered calmly, "Yeah. Just thinking."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

He glanced at her uncertainly before patting the seat next to him. She willingly sat down, facing him, and watched him until he decided to speak, "I am very worried about everyone. I don't mean worried, like, 'Oh, if he dies, that's just too bad, but if he doesn't, that okay too.' I mean I'm seriously scared for all of your lives. The war is coming on, the scar's been hurting more and more now and … I just feel so helpless. I mean, I know I have you all on my side and all, but … in the end, the two of us have to battle this out alone, which scares me the most. I'm just … so not prepared for this, Ginny. I am so not ready for it, either. And there's no doubt that a bunch of people are going to die this time. So many people, Ginny. Any one of us could be one of them. And nobody knows, by the end of the year, we might all be dead. It's a scary thought, but after battling him for so long, one of us has die, right? It's the possibility of it being me that's scary. And … I don't want to die, Ginny. I don't – don't want to die."

Ginny's eyes watered as she listened to his helpless struggle with himself and she brought her hand around to the back of his head and pulled him to her. She shushed him, telling him everything would be okay and everything would be fine, but dark thoughts began flooding her head. _What if everything won't be?_

After a while of comforting her past love, she noticed that his breathing had evened out and she pulled back and he looked at her. She said, "Harry. Go to bed. It's nearly eight and you haven't gotten a gram of sleep the last few days, I know. Go to bed. Try to forget just for tonight. Just try to forget, alright?"

The boy's green eyes closed and then opened again slowly. He nodded slightly and stood up, slowly heading off to his dormitory and waving to her sadly. She gave him a small smile and then turned and ran out of the portrait.

When she finally reached the meeting room, Ginny slowed her pace and drew a deep breath, afraid that she'd be late, and then she opened the door.

There was a silence in the room and Ginny thought it was empty at first, almost ready to leave in case she was in the wrong part of the castle, when a dark voice spoke, "You're over an hour late, Weasley."

Ginny jumped, startled, before she answered, "No way! I remember Hermione telling me the meeting would be at eight!"

"No, that's the time of your meeting with McGonagall, Weasley. The prefects met at six-thirty. If you continue on this way, I'll have to consider taking your post and placing someone more reliable and organized on the prefects team."

Ginny paled, "That can't be! I am fairly sure she said eight, Malfoy! I can't be that late!"

"Weasley, damn it, you _are_," Malfoy stood angrily from his place near the desk and he approached her, his tall frame intimidating over her own average one. She suppressed a shudder and looked him in the eyes, "But I'm _not_! I can't be, I just can't! I made sure to be on time, because she told me this meeting would be important!"

Malfoy seemed to consider her for a moment before a mischievous glint in his eyes disappeared and he drawled lazily, "Yeah, you're right. It was scheduled to be at eight. They're all in that room," he pointed toward the door opposite them.

Ginny's jaw fell and she looked at him blankly, shocked. Then, she smacked his arm angrily and said, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What the hell is your problem, Malfoy??"

He smirked, pushing her toward the other door slowly. She let herself be led and they walked in. The other prefects were all deeply in discussions with each other about numerous topics. But as soon as the door opened, all eyes snapped to her and Malfoy, his hand on her arm, and Ron jumped from his seat, snarling, "Let her go, Malfoy."

Ginny, suddenly recognizing his long fingers on her arm, pulled away, telling her brother, "It's nothing, Ron. He was just … being Malfoy."

Her brother gave Malfoy a look and sat back down. At the head of the room, Hermione stood up, and Malfoy approached her. He seated himself swiftly in the armchair and watched the team lazily. As Hermione stood before them, going over the news and rules for the new school year, Ginny watched Malfoy.

His blond, long hair fell into his eyes now, and he let it. He was taller than both Harry and Ron, which didn't say much, because they two boys hadn't really reached their full height yet. But he was taller than McGonagall, for sure, and Ginny found this interesting, because in her first year, he'd been shorter than herself, as far as she remembered. He had an air of authority over his audience and he sat so gracefully in his seat that Ginny was looking at him with something akin to awe.

His dark gray eyes fell on her in a few minutes as he studied the crowd in the chairs. Her own eyes then snapped to Hermione, intent on making it seem as though she was deeply enthralled by what the girl was teaching, but she soon found herself looking at Malfoy again, fortunately, when he wasn't looking. He had interested himself with a button on his long robes, but as Ginny continued looking at him as she chewed on her quill, his gaze swept to her and she held it with her own.

They seemed to have been staring at each other for an eternity before either were aware of a black folder flying through the air toward Malfoy's face. He caught it with amazing agility and looked away from her. Frowning, he drawled, "What do you want, Granger?"

"I've been standing up here for the last ten minutes calling your name, as we agreed, so that you'd show the prefects an example of what we've been talking about. Now, if you're too busy terrorizing some poor sixth year girl again, forgive me for interrupting your oh-so-important business call."

Smirking in Ginny's direction, he said, "You should be."

Throwing the folder back at Hermione, he stood, slid his wand out, and pointed it at his audience, but Ginny couldn't help but feel as though he aimed it more closely at her. Swallowing, she watched him as he said a few incantations under his breath and a cloudy mist appeared near the ceiling above them. As it began to spread, Hermione countered it with her own spell and it vanished.

"And that is an example of the Information Charm. Please take your wands out and repeat after me. _Ignacio Alaramana_. It's pretty easy to learn, just a flick of the wrist like so. It will spread throughout the entire castle quickly to alert teachers and students alike. So when you're doing rounds and are in danger or feel at any point that you could be, create the _Ignacio_ and don't stop until it's spreading in all possible directions. If, at any point, danger has been ceased, perform a counter-spell, called _Antagno Ignacio_, requiring the same wand movements, and it will vanish before you. If, at any point, you feel that –"

"Oh, do you _ever_ shut up, Granger? All they need to know is what it does and how to perform it. If any teachers come along, they can counter it all on their own, alright? Go, the lot of you, get lost and don't ever show your faces in this classroom until next week."

When nobody moved, Malfoy snarled, "Go!"

Everyone scrambled, except for Ginny, to the nearest exit. As Hermione shuffled some papers around on her small desk near McGonagall's, Ginny made sure everyone was gone, aside from Malfoy, perhaps, before she approached her and asked, "Hermione, I was supposed to go see McGonagall right now, do you think you could show me how to get into her office? I'm pretty sure I don't know the password either … "

When the Head Girl looked up, she formed an apologetic smile on her face and said, "Ginny, I'm so sorry, but I need to go send these letters out immediately to … some people …" Hermione explained to Ginny with her eyebrows that Malfoy wasn't a needed eavesdropper on the task at hand, so Ginny shrugged, "Okay. Well, do you know who could show me, then?"

Looking around, Hermione stared at Malfoy, who, in turn, raised his hand and said, "I guess I could."

Ginny's eyes switched between the two of them suspiciously before she sighed, "Fine then."

Before she had the chance to walk out of the classroom, Ginny heard Hermione call to her, "He didn't give you any trouble tonight, did he? I completely forgot to inform you that the place of the meeting was changed, and he offered to wait for you and show you."

Eyeing Malfoy, who was right in front of her as she turned to look at her friend, she answered, "No, no problem. I hope he keeps that up."

Muttering under his breath, Malfoy shook his head and pushed past her out into the corridor. Chuckling, Ginny followed and caught up with him, laughing, feeling her hair bounce around behind her, "Unfortunately, I'm not as fast and tall as you, Malfoy, so you'll excuse me when I ask you to slow down, please."

Turning his head back to look at her, he said, "Hurry up, Weasley, I haven't got all day." But much as he wanted to show his arrogance, Ginny saw him slow down a bit and walk in step with her.

Ginny laughed once more and asked, "Why'd you volunteer to walk me here anyway?"

In Ginny's opinion, his face blanched too quickly for her liking, as he said, "Don't flatter yourself, Weasley. I am simply doing it to get Granger off my back."

"And how has it been, then, working with Hermione for this long this year? Surely you aren't plotting to kill her?" Ginny asked with a feeling deep down that she was being a bit too cocky. Shutting her mouth tightly, Ginny watched him for any signs of emotion, finding none. Finally, she looked down just as he spoke.

"Not quite. I would think it would be a bit too obvious. I'd rather come up with a more creative way to drag her through the mud; unless it's too late for that, already."

She noticed him quicken his pace again, and caught up with him, grasping his arm lightly, "Did you get dropped on your head as a baby or something?"

The statement seemed to have surprised him, as he blinked down at her and carefully withdrew his arm from her reach. "What in hell is that supposed to mean?"

Suppressing a smile, Ginny replied, "Oh come on, first, you're mean as anything, then you're civilly controlled, now you're an asshole again. These mood swings of yours have me quite worried."

He blinked again, slowing down as they approached the stone gargoyle, and muttered, "How odd. And I was supposed to be the one dropped on my head as a baby. I must inform you, Weasley, that I am perfectly fine. No way in hell would I ever even consider pursuing Potter. Stop trying to get to me, it's not working."

Finally shutting up with a grin, Ginny walked to the statue as she heard Malfoy mutter the password and jumped onto the steps as the giant gargoyle began moving. Giving him a little wave, she smiled brightly as she saw his eyes widen, just before she went out of sight.

.&.

Before she knocked on the door, Ginny just barely heard a voice talking inside, "Minerva, we can't allow the students to know this yet – I believe you have a visitor."

Then, Ginny heard shuffling as McGonagall called out, "Come in, Miss Weasley."

Opening the door hesitantly, Ginny walked in and shut it behind her. Sitting down in an armchair across from the Headmistress, she looked around for the source of the second, male voice in the room. When she found none, she turned her curious eyes on McGonagall herself and watched her.

"Miss Weasley, it has been brought to my attention by several of your professors that you have been excelling the average marks of your classmates. I wish to propose to you an advanced course this year, which will allow you to graduate a year early. With the current circumstances outside, I believe it wouldn't hurt to have more fighters anyway, am I right?"

Nodding slightly, Ginny eyed the woman suspiciously. "Professor, are you saying I'll get moved up to the seventh years' classes?"

She was surprised when McGonagall shook her head, "No, Miss Weasley, you'll be taking an advanced course only taken by five other students. The class is far more advanced than the seventh years' and focuses only on the most important things in a wizard's life at the moment. Your classmates would be Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, Miss Parkinson, Mr. Zabini, and Miss Lester, a sixth year, like you. Do you wish to take me up on this privileged offer?"

Thinking quickly, Ginny mused how she'd miss her old friends and how she'd be excited, nevertheless, to learn new things she didn't already know. Overwhelmed with thoughts, Ginny finally nodded nervously and said, "Yes, professor, I'd like to use this opportunity."

Giving her a final lookover, McGonagall nodded, "Very well. I shall see you in class on Monday morning next week to hand you your new schedule. Be sure to attend your current classes by your old schedule, though. That shan't be hard, shall it? Only two days until the weekend. Go ahead, then, Miss Weasley. Get prepared as soon as you can."

Nodding fervently, Ginny felt ecstatic as she stepped out of McGonagall's room that day. In a matter of hours, she'd have Hermione order her new books by mail and she'd get on with school. Indeed, this year would be Ginny's year of outstanding academic achievements.

**.&.**

**How do you like it? Read and review, people, I wanna know what you think! **

**Luv y'all!**

**Toodles.**


	2. Let It Out

**LiFE HAPPENS**

**Chapter Two // Let It Out**

Ginny woke at five in the morning on Monday. She packed her new textbooks, notebooks, quills, and parchments neatly into her new book bag, one much bigger than the one she'd used for the previous five years, and dragged it down to the common room.

She brushed her hair out and placed it neatly into a pigtail that came down onto her left shoulder and smiled into the fireplace, waiting for Hermione to stop by. The older girl would be taking her to her new classes the entire day, of which there were only three – all in the morning. The entire week, she had very few different lessons. There were five different topics total, but the class periods lasted around two and a half hours.

On the other hand, Ginny was looking forward to it. Not the part where she'd have to endure six hours a day around three Slytherins with only two normal persons to keep her company, but the part where she'd be learning something totally new that no one other than those five that she'd be sharing classes with knew.

As far as she knew, they all had the same schedule and had daily meetings with McGonagall in the Transfiguration classroom. What made Ginny even prouder of herself was the fact that the people she would be having these advanced classes with were extremely smart and powerful. Look at Hermione: the girl is nothing but brains and excelling. Take Pansy Parkinson: although she was a school-known flirt, she knew her stuff and stayed smart. And Zabini: not that Ginny knew him much, but he was a Slytherin, and a smart one at that. Take even Malfoy: he was rude, impossibly annoying, and a total weirdo, but he was smart and wise and well taught. He knew what he needed to get ahead. The other girl was still a mystery to Ginny, but judging by what she heard, the girl wasn't very stupid.

On the other hand, this unnerved her. What if she wasn't as good? What if she embarrassed herself and made a mistake? Would they kick her all the way back to standard classes? Did she want that at all?

She was awoken from her reverie as Hermione stepped through the portrait hole and walked over to Ginny, sitting next to her.

"You ready?" she said, smiling.

Ginny watched the flames in the fireplace idly before replying, "I guess. I don't think they'll go too hard on me yet, since – "

Hermione broke her off with a shake of the head, "Don't tell yourself that, ever, Ginny. This is a high-level achievement class. They expect _lots_ more from you here. They will pile you up with assignments and papers and exams, and you've got to get through them. You can do it, Ginny, that's why you were placed in the program."

Smiling sadly, Ginny answered, "No pressure. I don't know, Hermione. How would McGonagall know how well I get this new material? She can't know. She just can't. And what if I don't?"

Hermione patted the poor girl's knee and said, "Don't ponder it too much, Ginny. Come on, get your stuff. We need to get going."

Ginny had time only to grab her bag before she was whisked away out of the common room into some strange corridors she'd never seen before.

.&.

"Good morning, class! We have a new student with us today, who'll join us permanently for the year. Ginny Weasley, please take a seat wherever you see fit. I'm Professor Dannielyn," a tall, smiling brunette said as she gestured toward the free seats in the big-looking classroom.

Choosing one right beside Hermione, Ginny dropped her books on the floor as she swore she heard someone curse. Turning toward the voice, she saw Malfoy standing right next to her seat, her bag laying heavily on his foot. He glared at her.

Only then did it appeal to her that he had been walking by when she so carelessly threw her things down. Looking down, she quickly picked them up and scooted them under her seat. Just before he walked on toward the teacher, Malfoy gave her a generous smirk.

Looking at Hermione, she saw her friend shake her head at him and condescendingly smirk at his back. Suppressing a snicker, Ginny took out her _What You Can See Ahead_ textbook for the class and opened to the directed page, flashing the Slytherins a dirty look when she was sure they were looking.

After classes, when she'd met and been introduced to all of her professors, Ginny flopped down on Hermione's bed, in her Head Girl room, giving a loud, long sigh.

"I see why you've always got your nose stuck in books, Hermione: it's the only way to _survive._"

Laughing, the Head Girl answered, "Surely you don't actually believe that? I mean, take Malfoy for example. He has excellent marks and he hasn't always got his nose down any books!"

"Well … I suppose. Yet still, it helps, doesn't it? I can't believe they're this hard! And Malfoy! I'm so worried. I feel like I don't understand the material whatsoever!"

Hermione said, "Well … let's just see how it goes … perhaps … perhaps it was a mistake putting you in these classes … You aren't prepared … "

Stung, Ginny's eyes narrowed, "I am absolutely capable of taking these lessons on, Hermione. I am only worried about the time limits … and Malfoy. He doesn't exactly help either."

"Oh, trust me, I know! But after a while, you get used to it and learn how to ignore him, because he generally just ignores everyone as well. He's become kind of quiet this year, actually."

Ginny sat up, "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Death Eater attack and he was behind it tomorrow. He probably doesn't bother you because he runs out of energy trying to get his little friends over here to start a war."

Smiling, Hermione answered, "No such worries. I've gotten to know him this year, even if it has only been a couple of months. He's kind of … more peaceful now, I think. He tries not to intentionally start things between people and himself. He's sort of … distanced himself. I guess that's why his studies are so good. He has more time to study, since he doesn't waste it on terrorizing little first-years."

Ginny laughed, "Are you serious? You think Malfoy is _peaceful?_ Don't feel bad if I quote you, alright?"

Hermione nodded and stood, "Well, I'm off. Head Girl duties. With the Head Boy, unfortunately. I'll see you later. You can stay here if you want. It's quiet enough to study and actually hear the voices in you head."

Staring at her, Ginny said, "That's nice to know."

The Head Girl laughed once more, letting her bushy hair fall back and walked out of the room, leaving Ginny to stare out of the wide window and ponder Malfoy's behavior and what could have caused it.

.&.

Ginny marched out of the Gryffindor common room happily when she heard a low voice call, "Weasley."

Turning around, she saw Malfoy's tall form approaching her as he looked right into her eyes and said, "Granger's in the Hospital Wing."

As Ginny processed his words, a thought randomly popped into her head. A year, even three months ago, she would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that Malfoy was behind it. But not now. Not when he was standing there, in front of her, telling her, a slight tremor in his voice. She doubted it was caused by worry for Hermione, but something was worrying him and Ginny knew that he was frightened, afraid, even, to admit it.

She looked at him levelly and said, quietly, "Why?"

"They don't know, I think. McGonagall told me to get you and Potter and all of them. She said it was important."

"Right now?"

"Yes. She wants you there now."

"Alright. Are you coming, too?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Eyeing him impatiently, Ginny began walking toward the infirmary. It really didn't feel good to have Malfoy at her back, following her, so she turned abruptly – so abruptly that he nearly ran into her and had to steady himself by holding onto her – and said, "Would you stop that?" 

Smirking, he replied, "Stop what?"

"Trailing behind me like some criminal. Not like you aren't, but I don't appreciate you walking behind me like a supervisor. If you've forgotten, we are now equals."

He snorted, but it wasn't like Ginny's, it was casual and normal-sounding, as if he practiced it everyday, "Not quite. You're coming with me only because I'm Head Boy. Not because we share classes."

"Oh, I can just tell how much that displeases you, Malfoy, but do keep it yourself. I don't need your constant complaining."

He actually smirked at her and said, "Alright."

For a few minutes, they walked in silence, with Ginny having her eyebrows raised and Malfoy keeping the smirk on his face like it was pasted there. Finally, Ginny stopped and said, "Okay, Malfoy, what the hell is going on?"

He didn't stop, only said over his shoulder, "We're almost there, Weasley."

Irritated, she caught his arm tightly and tore him around to face her, growling, "If you don't talk now, I'll make sure you never get there."

Showing her mock-surprise, he pulled away and said, "What are you talking about, Weasley?"

Groaning in irritation, she made sure her grab on his arm was painfully tight before replying, "What the hell possessed you and made you nice all of a sudden? And since when are you and Hermione buddies? Why does she treat you like she expects you to be nice to me?"

He scrunched up his face, "That's utterly offensive, Weasley. Me and Granger? Buddies? How wrong. And me, nice to you? I'm insulted."

"That's not even funny, Malfoy. Deny it all you want, but something weird's been up the last few weeks and I'm going to find out what, whether I do that with your help or someone else's. But moving on, what happened to Hermione?"

Malfoy gave her a withering look, "How should I know? I'm not exactly the one who sits with her every bloody day."

Making a face at him, she started walking again, deciding to push the matter to the back of her head until more appropriate times. When he caught up with her, she made sure he saw her toss her hair behind her shoulder and walk faster.

.&.

Ginny shuddered. She was sitting in the Hospital Wing with Harry and Ron beside her and Malfoy across from them, watching her. She squirmed under his calculating eyes and looked anywhere other than him.

She saw him move his hair back with a flip of the head and smirk, "Professor, just how much longer do we have to be here?"

They were sitting together around Hermione's bed as Madam Promfey performed spells and charms on her body, while McGonagall stood nearby, watching the proceedings with nothing less than disinterest. At his voice, she jumped slightly and answered, "Mr. Malfoy, please try to keep quiet. This is the Head Girl, for your information. If she isn't healed by the end of the week, someone else will have to come to replace her."

Under her disapproving gaze, he only sneered more, "Have you started considering any candidates?"

"Mr. Malfoy! Now, I will have none of that. Show some respect!"

He stayed silent and smirked. Ginny's eyes wandered over his features and he saw her. They stared at each other, a smirk gracing his lips and a sarcastic smile on hers. She glared only harder when her brother started talking and Malfoy snorted. He hadn't seemed to notice and looked nothing more than bored. In his hand, he was flipping a quill, his lazy position allowing him to do so without moving. He was sitting back, his legs spread in front of him, his behind nearly hanging off of the chair.

Smiling slightly, Ginny suppressed a giggle as she saw McGonagall eye him distastefully. It had been a week since she started her new classes and she was excited about the new work, so from her own seat in the chair, she piped up, "Professor, I really do have much work to finish. Is there anything in particular you need me here for?"

Although her eyes were still on his, Malfoy's snapped to the professor to see her reaction. Harry and Ron spoke up then, "Professor, perhaps we shouldn't have brought the two of them here, they can't really help. It was most likely a mistake, what with dragging them out of classes … " Ginny's eyes narrowed at the familiar word and she glared at the two boys. McGonagall gave a dramatic sigh and replied, "Alright, Miss Weasley and Mister Malfoy, you are excused."

Ginny stood from her seat as Malfoy nearly sprung from his and together, they strode out of the hospital. Outside, Ginny hissed, "Why did you have to come along? If I'd left by myself, I wouldn't have to deal with you the entire trip back to my common room!"

He eyed her with disdain before deciding to reply, "You're not all that special, Weasley. If you leave, I definitely leave."

"Oh, and of course, you _are_ that important. You make me want to rip my hair out, Malfoy. Patch by patch. You're that horrible."

"Weasley, shut up. I'm telling you, just because I have to endure daily classes with you and I have to see your cheap little self in my commons every night doesn't mean we're going to be buddy-buddy. We are _never_ going to be buddy-buddy, Weasley," he drawled dangerously.

She looked up at him through narrowed eyes and contemplated him. Her eyes took in his dark gray orbs and how they were traveling over her own face, "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I don't think I would've been able to handle the mental image."

As she said this, she watched as the angry glint in his eyes disappeared and he looked almost amused. For a second, she smiled at him, before catching herself and making her face expressionless again. Before she could draw away, he muttered, "You really are something, you know that, Weasley?"

Ginny smiled and flipped her hair, "I know. Part of my charisma and all that."

He smirked at her and shook his head briefly, "Sure, Weasley. Look. I am not exactly enjoying having to walk with you around the castle, so why don't we split up right here and go down our own separate corridors?"

Ginny nodded. "Good idea. The sight of you utterly repulses me," she grinned. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Right. So, I'm going to go now."

As he walked away, he was oblivious to the fact that a slip of paper fell from the book he was holding. Picking it up curiously, Ginny looked at it. It was folded up and stamped carefully, almost like something that she knew Malfoy wouldn't want her to see. She grinned wickedly and began to unfold it. Just then, her conscience decided to kick in and her hands dropped to her sides, defeated. Sighing, she jogged on his trail. She didn't call his name, but her padding footsteps were hint enough.

After a few minutes of running down a dimly-lit corridor, she heard, "Weasley," from the other end. She picked up speed and finally saw him as she ran by an open window. Stopping in front of him as he turned, se extended the parchment to him, breathing heavily. He snatched it and said angrily, "I suppose it would be too much to hope for that you hadn't stuck your ugly nose in my business and read it?"

Surprisingly, the comment stung Ginny. She blinked and muttered, "Look here, Malfoy. I am an honest person and I would never start snooping around in other people's things. Just because I hate you doesn't mean I want to dig up stupid dirt on you and go about in your business. I have more important things to do that think about you and what it is people write to you. Understood?"

He nearly smirked in reply when she snapped, "And don't put that ridiculous smirk on again. It makes you look completely and absolutely stupid and empty-headed. Which, I wouldn't be surprised if you were. But anyway, save me the displeasure and don't do it."

He watched her for a bit more as she glared up at him, suddenly feeling much taller. She jabbed a finger in his chest, "And don't you ever call me Weasel or dirt-poor or unpleasant again, you hear me? Coming from you, they're compliments, anyway. Let me tell you something. I _hate_ you, Malfoy. I loathe you. You're a self-proclaimed egotistical prick and I loathe you to the core. You annoy me to the next century. You hate me just as much, so why not make an agreement? Never talk to me again. And I'll return the favor."

She waited for his response impatiently as he stared at her. Finally, he drawled, "No. I won't do that. I will talk to whomever I damn well want to."

"So now you're saying you _want_ to talk to me?"

Drawing in a quick breath, he snapped, "Shut up already!"

She only raised her eyebrows and waited for him to continue. He brushed a hand through his hair and looked around. Finally, his eyes landed on hers and his voice seemed an octave lower when he said, "Look, I need to get some things done and you're keeping me from them."

He began to walk away when Ginny ran around him and stood in front of him. He looked down at her curiously as she began jabbing her wand at him, saying, "Apologize."

"For what?"

"For accusing me of being a dirty-nosed snoop who reads your letters."

His eyes widened as he smirked, "Are you completely nuts, Weasley? No, I won't apologize! For all I know, you _did_ read it."

Her jaw dropped and she began to flush crimson, "If you ever accuse me of something like that again, I will hurt you, Malfoy. I did _not_ read your stupid letter. I do _not_ go around in other people's business. I do _not_ lie," she finished in an ice-cold tone. Malfoy looked taken aback and he blinked several times before replying, "Alright, Weasley. I appreciate you not nosing through my things."

He made to walk again when she gritted out, "Apologize. Twice."

He stared at her before murmuring, "Fine, fine. I'm sorry, Weasley."

Then he walked off. Although he hadn't apologized twice, Ginny let it go. He had sounded sincere enough. Slowly turning back to the direction of the common room, Ginny began her long walk up the staircases.

Just before she went around the corner to the portrait, Ginny heard Hermione's voice nearby, shouting, "Well, Ron, if you had even bothered to look, you would have known I was in the library! What right have you to go about reprehending me for my whereabouts, when I can barely find you or Harry half the time! Talk about hypocrisy! And stop badgering me about spending too much time in the library – it's my time and I'll spend it wherever I bloody well please! And if there's something you don't like, the bloody well do something about it!"

There was a moment of silence before Ron muttered, "Fine." Then, it was quiet. Wondering if they had left or not, Ginny dared to sneak a peek around the corner. The sight that awaited her was certainly not expected. She saw Ron's face leaning awkwardly over Hermione's, their lips connected. Her jaw dropping in disbelief, Ginny turned back around the corner, grinning widely. For a while it was quiet like that. Then, "Um, I should be getting back to the commons … I'll see you."

"Yeah, see you," Ron said after her. As she heard Hermione coming closer in her quick footsteps, Ginny put on a blank face and smile, pretending she hadn't heard (or seen) anything. The two girls passed each other and Hermione's eyes widened. Then, Ginny smiled, "Hey, Hermione," and walked on, which seemed to have relieved the dark-haired girl.

As she approached the portrait, she saw Ron still standing there, still staring in the direction of Hermione's departing form. Grinning to herself, Ginny stated the password and walked in, allowing it to close after her. She knew perfectly well that Ron wouldn't be coming in for another ten minutes.

.&.

Ginny awoke in the middle of the night, gasping for air. She had just had another one of those countless nightmares she's been having since her first year. Checking the clock on her dresser, she saw that it was barely two in the morning.

She rolled off of her bed and wrapped her new silk robe around her tightly, quietly slipping out of the common room and in the direction of the Heads' commons. Having known about Ginny's nightmares, Hermione told her at the beginning of the year that she was absolutely welcome to come by whenever she needed.

It wasn't that Ginny needed someone to talk to, or someone to comfort her. She wasn't very well going to wake Hermione in the middle of the night to complain about a childish nightmare. She usually came there at night and sat on the large blue sofa in the middle of the room, watching the fire in front of her die out. So far, she hadn't once gotten caught by Filch, so that was good.

Standing in front of the large, tall portrait of a rather large lady, Ginny whispered, "Hey, Giovanni. Purple tulips."

The woman cracked one eye open and nodded, allowing the frame to move to allow Ginny to get in. Once inside. Ginny was enveloped with the warmth radiating from the fire, but once she looked toward the sofa, she was startled to see Malfoy staring at her, looking puzzled, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"

Not seeing a reason to lie, Ginny said, "Trying to get my mind off things."

Giving her a strange look, he settled back into the cushions, drawling softly, "Why here, of all places?"

Ginny sat beside him, looking into the soft flames and replying, "Because I felt like it, Malfoy, give me a break. I just had a nightmare, went barefoot across the stone-cold floors of the castle and same upon you. I don't need an interrogation."

She felt his eyes on her but ignored him. She chose instead to focus on her scary dream. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she pulled her legs closer to herself and put her chin on them, humming. She wasn't sure what exactly she was humming, but she remembered the tune from a videotape of Hermione's fifth birthday party, when they were bringing out the cake. It was also the tune she heard in her sleep as she was being chased by Death Eaters and Tom.

After what felt like an eternity to him, Malfoy exclaimed, "Stop humming! That bloody melody's going to give me nightmares."

Ginny snorted at the irony, "Right. Sorry."

After a few seconds, Ginny turned to look at Malfoy, to see him watching her. He didn't look angry or amused or irritated. He had a blank, open look on his face and Ginny smiled at him. Then, she asked, "Do you ever have nightmares?"

He shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Well … I did. That's why I came here tonight. I don't know, something about this room … really calms my nerves … so I come here. Why are you up?"

He nodded, "Just couldn't get to sleep. Thinking about tomorrow's match."

"Oh, that's right! This one will be for the House Cup semester finals … whom are you playing?" Ginny asked conversationally.

He shrugged, "Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, one or the other. I'm not worried that we'll lose. I just … I've been feeling completely drained lately and I just want to sleep through it all. Win or lose, it's like I don't even care. I just want some rest."

Ginny watched as he withdrew his eyes from her face and they traveled to the fire in front if him. Then, he looked back when she asked, "Do you know what exactly has been draining you, then?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Well … perhaps you should try taking a sleeping draught. It would help you fall asleep, if nothing more," Ginny suggested helpfully.

He bowed his head, "I should try it sometime, perhaps. What was your nightmare about? If you want to talk about it, that is."

Shrugging a shoulder, Ginny uttered, "I dreamt that I was being chased by Death Eaters and they were gaining on me. Sort of a panicky type of dream, you know?"

Malfoy nodded slightly and let his eyes travel over her. Over her unruly, wavy red hair, over her tanned, smooth face, over her long neck, over the silky blue robe with brown Pygmy puffs here and there, over the silk black pajama pants sticking out from under the robe, and finally, over her bare feet, with lime green nail polish on her toes.

She saw him give a small smile at the sight of the brightly colored nails and blushed, murmuring lightly, "My favorite color. It looks wild, I know, but why not be wild sometimes, right? You only get to live once."

Then, she noticed him look up at her with something akin to admiration in his pools of gray orbs and couldn't stop the grin that came over her face. First, it progressed from a grin to a giggle. Then, it went to a full-on laughing session.

It was just her laughing for a while, and he was watching her with mild interest. Then, he grinned too, and chuckled along with her. When she finally regained control, she looked up to see him still smiling at her and couldn't help but think, _He looks handsome when he smiles. And not half bad!_

Malfoy then proceeded to ask, "What exactly are we laughing about?"

Ginny shrugged as the giggles overcame her again, her shoulders shaking with energy from the day's events. She had bottled every emotion up the entire week, every each one, and was finally able to let it all out. It felt good. And she wasn't in the least embarrassed. For some reason, she just didn't seem to care what Malfoy thought about her crazy laughter; she was aching with energy and she needed to release it.

He laughed with her that time, although not as loudly or for as long, but when Ginny's amusement finally subsided, they looked at each other for a long time without saying anything. Then, Ginny pointed to Hermione's room behind her with a thumb, "Is she asleep?"

Malfoy replied with a grin, "Pardon, but I don't watch the sleeping patterns of the Head Girl."

Ginny snorted, "Well, let's hope she's asleep, then. We wouldn't want to wake her … wait, no, that doesn't make sense, if she's asleep, we most likely already woke her … and if she _isn't_ asleep, then she already heard everything … " Ginny mused slowly.

This only set Malfoy off, which set Ginny off too, and together, they collapsed on the cushions, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

What they didn't know what that peeking out of the room behind them, the Head Girl herself was watching them with a knowing smile.

**.&.**

**Yo! Here's chapter two. Pleeeeeease review, people! They are what keeps me going and if you review, I will love you forever and ever!**

**Thank you to those of you who reviewed the first chapter and I'm glad to have gotten a response to it. Any questions you may have had will probably be answered later on, but I'm grateful for the nice words as well.**

**I hope you enjoyed this one. Until next time!**

**Toodles.**


	3. Small Difference

**LiFE HAPPENS**

**Chapter Three // Small Difference**

_**By the way, guys, I read all your wonderful reviews and comments and you are all right. It does seem like it's going a bit too fast, so I'm going to include more background info in this chapter, like flashbacks and explanations through characters. I appreciate you all telling me! By the way, I love it when readers quote my story when they tell me exactly what they like or don't like!**_

The following morning, Ginny awoke on the sofa, curled up into a ball. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen and she didn't hear Hermione either. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and wrapped her robe around her tightly, trying to keep the cold out. She finally heard a door open and turned to find Hermione approaching the sofa, reading a book. She seemed so engrossed in it, she hadn't even noticed that she was slowly sitting down on Ginny's lap. When her behind finally connected with the redhead's legs, she jumped up suddenly with a gasp and saw Ginny. The other girl laughed and Hermione laughed with her, sliding into the seat beside her.

Finally, Ginny asked, "So, what happened yesterday?"

Hermione put her book down slowly and clasped her hands in her lap as she turned to face Ginny. "Yes, McGonagall told me that there was an attempted Death Eater attack – on me. She said it's possible that a training Death Eater is attending the school right now and they were trying to get to Harry through me. It didn't work, since the spell was so weakly performed and I wasn't hurt. Just knocked out."

Ginny sighed and took in this information, nodding, before saying, "Alright. So do you know the whole story yet? As in, why all of this is going on?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, Harry told me basically from beginning to end. See, this is what happened – "

Ginny broke her off, "Wait, Hermione, do you happen to have a warm blanket I could use for the time being? It's chilly in here!"

Hermione brought out a large, blue blanket from her room and set it down on Ginny, covering her. At Ginny's nod, she sat down next to her and began again, "Harry told me this. He wasn't too detailed, but I figured the rest out through books. Alright. Starting with the end of last year – Malfoy and Snape both threatened to kill Dumbledore. Snape actually did it. Then they all escaped, allowing for us to believe that You-Know-Who is on the rise and a war is coming on. Over the summer, a number of things happened, Lucius Malfoy was killed, Snape converted back to our side, and McGonagall became Headmistress. Yes, Snape came back, but we're still attempting to figure out where his loyalties lie … he did, after all, kill the only wizard we had that was more powerful that V-Voldemort himself.

"But in the end, what we have is this: the war is about to start. Many people are claiming to be on our side, and we only believe a handful of them. For example, Malfoy: yes, he did join the Death Eaters last year. Then, apparently, his father died and all this money and the Malfoy name fell on him. He came to his senses and decided hat he needed to grab a hold on his life. He came to the Ministry over the summer and gave a full statement on everything he had been doing in relation to the war and they'd allowed him to come back. It seems he has no contact with the Death Eaters anymore. McGonagall found no one smarter than Malfoy in this year – poor Harry and Ron – and made him Head Boy, although I suspect she keeps a watchful eye on him daily.

"What can I really say about this? He's not nice yet, but … he's not exactly mean anymore, you know? He still insults me, but he can carry on a conversation with me like any normal person could. It's too much to hope for that he'll join us, but at least he won't work against us. As for Snape … I don't know. I really, really don't know. I'm itching to figure out why Dumbledore trusted him so much and all … it's just so odd, even now. Anyway, as for yesterday, there's someone in this castle, hiding out either as a student or a teacher, who works with the Death Eaters that tried to put a curse on me yesterday. It was while Malfoy and I were doing rounds. He'd stopped to get some squealing first years out of an empty classroom and I'd walked on. Then, I heard someone behind me whispering something and I didn't get to turn around to see them, because … you know, I was knocked out. So anyway, Malfoy found me and took me to the Hospital Wing. He doesn't know what happened yet. They didn't tell him."

Ginny nodded. That was quite possibly the longest Hermione had ever spoken without stopping for some rest. Ginny smiled, "And I suppose no one's planning to, either?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, I'm actually supposed to, by McGonagall's instructions. She told me not to tell anyone who doesn't need to know, though, so please make sure Lavender and everyone in your year don't find out, alright?"

Ginny frowned, "Why would I tell them?"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, if it happens to slip out, by some chance – "

"Well, it won't. Honestly, Hermione, don't you trust me at all?"

The older girl stared at her, "Well, no, that's not what I was saying at all! I just meant that they will try to find out what happened to me one way or the other, and I need you not to tell them _anything._ Not a thing. Because them knowing would mean the entire school knowing."

Still frowning, Ginny pulled the covers off of her, "Alright. I have to go, though. I'll see you later."

Hermione watched as she got up and walked toward the portrait slowly. The older girl picked up her book and began reading once more when Ginny turned around and called, "Congratulations on the Ron thing."

Hermione's head snapped to her and she massaged her neck as she blushed, "You know about that?"

Ginny grinned and stepped out.

.&.

When she finally reached her dorm, Ginny decided to step into the shower. As she stood under the warm water, she pondered the things Hermione had told her. So, the things that had been going on during the summer quite possibly explained Malfoy's welcoming character as of late. She smothered some liquid soap onto her legs and washed it off, finally stepping out of the shower. She dressed casually, in a pair of Hermione's jeans, dark green sweater and a colorful striped scarf wound around her neck. She grabbed a pair of boots and pulled them on, click-clacking her was out of the castle and onto the Quidditch pitch. She found a few of her friends already seated in the Gryffindor section and she sat nearby, shuddering as the cold wind hit her occasionally.

From behind her, she heard Luna commenting as the teams stepped out. She warmly announced her own house and then quickly listed the Slytherin team as if she was bored. Ginny smiled and stepped up a few seats to sit near her.

"And now they speed off into the air – oh, hey Ginny! Anyway, here comes the Slytherin team to the hoops and Malfoy speeds off – does he see the Snitch? If so, this is bad news for the Ravenclaw team, because the team seeker isn't going in the same direction!"

At this, Ginny saw a figure in blue robes speed after Malfoy. Ginny watched with interest as Malfoy's outstretched hand grabbed onto the ball and cheers erupted from the Slytherin section. Everywhere else, people booed. The noise wasn't as loud this year as it had been all the previous years. Only three quarters of the school's students had returned for school this year, if not less. She only shared her dormitory with Jarylyn and Maggie this year. As soon as the ball was caught, Ginny walked off of the stands and trudged back to the castle.

Right before she reached the doors, she felt a hand on her elbow. Turning, she spotted Harry.

"Oh, hey, Harry!"

The boy smiled at her before saying, "Were you at the game just now?"

Ginny grinned, "Well, she did announce it to the entire stadium, didn't she?"

"Well, yeah. Anyway, have you seen Ron? I've been looking all over for him, but he … and Hermione … oh," he finished quietly.

Ginny laughed, "Yeah. How about we go to the Great Hall? I need to get some homework finished up. Mum was adamant that I take the advanced classes seriously. She's proud of me, since I'm the first in the family to go through these, but she says that if I don't get ahead in them, she'll have me do two years of extra classes after we graduate."

They walked through the halls in step and Harry asked, "And are you graduating with us, then?"

Ginny nodded, "I won't have anything to do here next year. They say it's not common procedure for students to skip grades, but I'm actually glad. I don't know what I'd do here without you guys and everyone else I've grown close to. Of course, my sixth year friends will stay, and that's sad, but … you know, things change. We've already sort of grown apart, since some things go on during classes, which I don't have with them anymore, that I don't know about and they just sort of … move on past me there. But we still hang out in the dorms. So that's good. I'd be lonely here next year, very, very lonely."

Harry nodded but didn't say anything.

Ginny looked at him, "Are you feeling okay since … the other day?"

Harry nodded, "I'm out of it by now. I feel much better. Thanks to you, I think."

"Oh, well, I'm glad I could help, then," Ginny said warmly, smiling at him. Harry caught her gaze and said, "I'm sorry I let it all out on you."

"No, Harry, it wasn't like that. You were simply a friend going through a bad, hard time … your entire life … and I wanted to comfort you. I'm glad I did it."

"Yes, my entire life is like that, that's true," Harry mused as they walked into the hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. It was empty but for a few students still finishing breakfast, while everyone else was still coming back from the pitch.

Ginny grabbed the books that were lying by her plate and opened one up as the food disappeared, much to Harry's dismay, as he was spreading some butter on his toast. Ginny giggled and patted his shoulder and opened up to the right page in her _Advanced Potions_ book.

Harry looked over her shoulder curiously and bit into the bread. Ginny hurriedly began taking notes from the text and looking up once in a while as students began filtering into the hall.

Hermione and Ron walked in and sat opposite them, smiling. Harry eyed them silently and went back to looking over Ginny's shoulder. Ginny didn't look up. Ron looked at Hermione, shrugged, and took out his own textbooks.

Hermione followed suit and they all sat in silence, doing work, except for Harry, who simply sat there, watching them all.

Ron looked up after a while, "Harry, don't you have to do the essay for Transfiguration?"

Harry didn't look up from Ginny's book, "No. I finished it yesterday."

Ron's eyes widened and he slammed his book closed, pushing it away, "Blimey! Why didn't you tell me, then?"

Harry finally glanced up, "Well, you and Hermione were sort of … preoccupied."

Hermione's head snapped up and she massaged it again, grimacing. Ron turned crimson and Hermione blushed a little too. Harry smiled, "And after that, I was looking for you this morning … but I think you were busy as well."

Ron, if possible, turned an even darker shade of red. Harry's smile turned into a wide grin. Hermione blinked and looked back down to her homework. Ginny noticed that Hermione wasn't, indeed, already finished with her work, which could only suggest how much harder these classes were that the standard ones.

As Ginny turned back to her parchment when Harry and Ron began discussing Quidditch and the morning's game, she thought about her decision earlier that year to quit the team. It had been thought by McGonagall as too much pressure in addition to the classes she had been transferred to. The team hadn't suffered, she admitted to herself, since there were other players lining up to take her position. Harry had been at a loss of what to do, since they were already nearly halfway through the year, but decided to take a young fourth year boy.

Brows furrowed in concentration, she didn't hear Hermione when the girl called, "Ginny, did you hear any of what McGonagall just said?"

Harry patted her arm, "Ginny!"

Ginny looked up, "Oh, sorry. What did she say?"

Hermione's eyes quickly scanned the Great Hall, "She said that the Head Boy was injured in the game. Oh, this is not good … "

Harry and Ron frowned, always up for an injured Malfoy, "Why?"

Hermione glanced at them and then at Ginny, "Because McGonagall needed us to prepare the dance!"

The other three looked up at her simultaneously, "What dance?"

Hermione shook her head, "She's planning on having a dance at the end of the school year, for the seventh years' graduation – and Ginny's – and I've just been piled with work from Professor Sprout!"

"Hermione, if it's at the end of the year, then you have a lot of time to work on it," Ron reasoned.

"No, no, I realize that, but there's so many things that have to be done and arranged! This is a major setback, all this work I have to do, plus Malfoy's Quidditch practices, which the idiot won't give up, and now he's injured! And what if the injury is big? That won't be good at all!" the bushy-haired girl sat up and bit her lip furiously, eyes darting around the hall.

Ginny watched her, confused, "Hermione. Honestly, it's just a dance. What arrangements could possibly take half of a year? If you want, I could help you. With Quidditch off my hands, I have some free time now."

Hermione smiled at her gratefully, "That would be great, Gin. Although I can't really let you do too much, since McGonagall didn't want anyone but me and Malfoy to know about it yet … but I suppose you could know about the decorations and all."

Ginny smiled supportively, "Yes, exactly, at least it'd give you some more time, right? Are you going to go check out Malfoy's condition first, to see if you'll even need me?"

Hermione nodded and began shoving he books into her bag, "Yes, I'm going to go do that. I'll see you later, Ginny! Thanks."

Once the older girl rushed off, Ron turned to them, "A dance! If it's going to be like the one in fourth year, I'd rather not attend!"

Ginny gave a wicked smile, "Oh, but Ron, you're forgetting that this year, you won't be going with a Patil twin. You'll be going with Hermione!"

**.&.**

**Hmm. I hope that explained some things?**

**Anyway, I'm hoping to finish this story before the last book comes out, since it might change everything, and it'll be hard working with the same mindset as now. **

**If you still have questions, feel free to review. Did you read my earlier comment about quoting? Yes, do that!**

**Ta-ta.**


	4. Trust Me

**LiFE HAPPENS**

**Chapter Four // Trust Me**

_**This is a miniature update on my work, so **__**please read**__**!! Okay, so, I really apologize for the extremely long wait, but I've been busy with SEDUCiNG A MODEL and a new story I've been working on. I will not update SEDUCiNG A MODEL until I get back about a week from now. My new story, titled CAMPiNG, will be posted soon, and I hope to get enough reviews so that I may continue it. Please read it when it comes out! This story will be very hard to work with, since it's been a long time since the idea for it slipped my mind, and I don't remember where to take it. However, I won't disappoint you, and will continue to update, however rare the occasions may be, and for that I apologize. Review nevertheless, perhaps with your own idea for the story, and one of you might be lucky enough to get exactly what you wanted from the story! **_

"Wait, so what, you're telling me I'm never going to see you again?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ginny! Come on, be serious, please! I need to get these charms finished up before dinner."

Ginny grinned, "What, you didn't like my "Ron" imitation? I thought it was rather realistic. I made him as needy as he is in reality."

Hermione laughed, "That's true, but we _really_ need to get these done. Malfoy said I could visit him with whatever ideas we come up with when I need to – but only before dinner. That's why I need to get these done. Have you seen Ron lately? I can't seem to find him anywhere."

Ginny chuckled, "That's probably because he's been running around all nervous, trying to think of creative ways to ask you to the dance."

Hermione smiled, "Poor boy. Who's going to tell him I won't be able to attend with him because I have to attend with the Head Boy?"

Ginny's face fell, "Not me, that's for sure."

Hermione shook her head, "Yes, I suppose that should be my job. But you know what, I just can't make myself go up to him and say it. I feel like he'll explode any moment. I mean, you know how he is. And I want to go with him, I really do, but he hasn't even asked me yet! I can't read minds! What does he want??"

Ginny sighed, "I guess he just wants to know that he has a spot in your mind. A big one. That takes up the entire place."

Hermione nodded, closing one of the books. "I have to tell him today."

.&.

"Hey!" Hermione breathed as she fell onto the couch lazily, dropping her book bag on the floor beside it. Ginny bookmarked her page and said, "Well?"

Hermione sighed, "Well, I haven't talked to Ron, if that's what you're asking."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow, "Oh," and went back to her reading.

Hermione slapped her thigh, "Oh, Ginny, come on, don't give me that! You know I want to! I've been so busy working with Malfoy and you, I can't take on any more luggage!"

Ginny sighed, closing her book and turning to her friend, whose face crumpled and she began to cry. Ginny's eyes widened, "Hermione? Whoa, whoa, what's wrong??"

The other girl shook her head, leaning back with her hands on her face, weeping. Ginny pulled her to her arms, rocking back and forth nervously.

Hermione hiccupped and slowly reduced her sobs. When she pulled away, she was red and embarrassed, and whispered, "Sorry."

Ginny shook her head, leaning closer, "No, Hermione, what happened? What's wrong?"

Her friend looked at her and said, "I feel so helpless, Ginny."

Through her nasal voice, Ginny detected an emotion – loneliness. For the first time, Ginny thought about her friend's personal and social life. Hermione wasn't any type of outcast – she was actually rather well liked at the moment, and she wasn't by any means alone. But did Hermione have real friends? Friends she could count on when the time came? Or was Hermione as lonely as ever, feeling alone even in a crowd?

Ginny bit her lip as she thought this over, and grabbed Hermione's hand, looking into her eyes, "Hey, 'Mione, you can tell me everything. Please. Tell me what's wrong. Why do you feel helpless?"

The older girl sniffled and cried, "Because! Harry's busy with himself, and he's been awfully cold to me lately. Ron is so clueless, he doesn't know what on earth is going on everywhere. You, you're busy adjusting to new classes, new people, new things, and I can't pile things on you. I tried to talking to Parvati and Lavender, but they're as empty-headed as ever. I just want someone to talk to! I … I want a boyfriend, for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny blinked, startled, and said, "Well, Ron's always been here, you know that – "

Hermione crumpled up again, weeping, "But I don't want Ron! I want someone who cares more, someone who's ready for something serious, something meaningful! Why – why is he so damn stupid, Ginny? Why??"

Her friend shook her head, surprised at Hermione's desperate voice, and said, "He's always been like that, Hermione! But – I thought you liked him, though?"

Hermione nodded, "I did! I do! But I can't wait around forever! He's obviously not ready, and if he's not, I'll find someone who is! All Ron cares about is Quidditch and what the newest broom is and what the coolest new technique is, and I don't want to know what the damned new technique is! I want someone to care what my mood is, what I like, and what I need! I feel so alone, Ginny. Not because I don't have any friends, that's not true, I mean come on, I have you – that's more than enough. But I want someone who'll be closer to me. Someone who will care a lot more and devote much more time to me."

Ginny nodded slowly and pulled away, resting against the armrest of the couch, and said, "I suppose that's reasonable. Ron's the never been the brightest boy in the world, and I suppose it's not fair to you to have to wait for him. Do what you want, Hermione, for once. Do what you want. Do what makes you happy."

Hermione nodded and a blush crept up her cheeks, making Ginny say, "What!"

Hermione shook her head and stood up, "Sorry for unloading on you like this. Thanks, Ginny. You're a lifesaver."

Ginny watched numbly as her friend left through the portrait hole. After a few minutes, she threw the blankets neatly into the room and walked out, whistling a quiet tune as she walked to the Great Hall.

.&.

Just as the tiny redhead rounded the corner, she bumped into an extremely tall other person. Although, upon further ponderment, Ginny came to the conclusion that this person wasn't extremely tall, it just felt like he was because of her own tiny size.

She looked up, her brown eyes meeting gray, and raised an eyebrow, "Pay attention to where you're going, Malfoy."

"Pay attention to whom you're running into, midget."

Ginny's jaw dropped in absolute indignation and she watched his smirk progress to a sexy grin and he shook his head, "I'm just kidding, Weasley. Just go on to where you were going before and leave me alone."

Ginny's eye narrowed and she pursed her lips, "You are impossible. Impossible."

With that, she went on her way, attempting to ignore him and forget she'd even seen him. But no matter how hard she could have tried, it was pointless – not even a few minutes later, he caught her arm and said, "How's Granger?"

Ginny's eyes widened as she took in his words, and said, "Uhh, fine, I suppose. Do you … care?"

He stared at her and then sneered, "Weasley, I don't stoop that low. I'm asking because I need to know what happened."

Ginny gave him a once-over and said, "I don't think you look like you were in a hospital for four days. What happened to _you_?"

Malfoy smirked, "Pomfrey released me after my temperature went down to normal and I told her I felt fine. Now stop bombarding me with questions and answer mine."

"Temperature? I thought you were injured?"

Malfoy growled, "Weasley … "

Ginny grinned and said, "Fine. She's absolutely dandy, Malfoy! Go to your commons and have a good life. Goodbye!"

With that, Ginny sprinted all the way back to Gryffindor tower.

When she reached the common room, she spotted Harry and Ron playing chess in one corner, and Neville was sitting quietly, staring into the fireplace, by himself. Deciding to pick the lesser of two evils, she approached the timid boy and sat beside him, obviously startling him. He looked at her and a relieved smile passed over his face, and then he said, "Ginny. How are you?"

Ginny shrugged, crossing her legs, and said, "Fine. And you?"

He laughed nervously, "I'm great. Just … waiting. For … whatever. You know."

Ginny nodded, studying him. His brows were furrowed in an irritable fashion, the corners of his lips drooped down, and he looked awfully jumpy. Upon closer inspection, she noticed his red cheeks, his sweaty forehead, and his clammy hands. Something was up.

She leaned forward and said, quietly, "Neville, is something wrong? You can tell me, you know."

His eyes widened and he looked at her, frowning, "Nothing's wrong, Ginny. Don't know what you're on about."

Ginny looked at him quizzically and shrugged, leaning back again. After a while of hearing a the crackling of the dying fire, Ginny heard Neville take a deep breath and squeak, "Ginny, have you talked to that Parkinson girl lately? From Slytherin?"

"Uh, no. Why?"

His eyes darted from her to the fire, "No reason. She just … did some strange things today. Anyway, I have to go, Ginny, I'll see you around!"

And before she could protest, the lanky boy disappeared and Ginny was left on the couch, raising her eyebrows. After a moment, Ginny stood and approached her brother carefully. He looked frustrated, and when she looked at the board, she saw why. Harry had him completely stuck, and the chess pieces were standing around staring at him exhaustedly. Stifling a snort, Ginny scratched her arm and went to her dormitory.

.&.

Ginny awoke with a start as she heard the girls in her dormitory arguing scandalously. She tore her curtains away and glared at them, "What the hell is the problem?"

Jarrie and Maggie were standing in the middle, looking at each other lividly, with two others watching them like hawks. The brunette looked scraggly, with her hair down in loose, tangled tendrils, and the taller girl in front of her looked suspiciously neat and perfect, with her light brown hair in a swift plait and her smooth, pink cheeks. Ginny kept glaring when neither answered and scrambled out of the bed angrily and came up to them, towering to her full, yet not impressive, height and screeched, "It is three-thirty in the morning on a Saturday, you better have a damn well good excuse for waking me, you two chits!"

Maggie turned on her, pointing to Jarrie, "This girl was awake yesterday, waiting for me to get back to the dormitory in the middle of the night. I got back half an hour ago and she started telling me off for being a trollop and doing things with the guy 'she was supposed to get!' Seamus is completely out of your league, Jarylyn, and if it takes me telling you so to make you finally understand it, then so be it. Quit trying to insult my intelligence – Seamus chose _me_ for a reason."

Ginny glanced at the other girl, spotting wet tears in her eyes, and rolled her own. She stomped over to her nightstand, grabbed her wand, pointed it at the girls, who yelped as they were thrown none too gently onto the beds, and scoffed, eyeing each with derision and rolling back under her covers, muttering, "Wake me again for something that idiotic, and you'll regret it," and wrenching the curtain back over the bed.

Strangely enough, after that, they had seemed to quiet down, and when Ginny awoke five hours later at half past eight, it was peacefully calm. It was a well-known fact for the sixth year girls of Gryffindor that Ginny was a born leader, and they accepted her willingly. They took her words seriously, therefore she wasn't all too surprised to see the others watching her wide-eyed. She got out of bed and cleaned herself up, dressing in a pair of leggings and a long dress-shirt. She piled her long hair onto her head in curly swirls and pulled on her worn blue ballet flats. Jarrie and Maggie were already walking around, getting ready as well, and she smiled at them feebly as she walked out.

Downstairs, she met Harry and Ron, the latter of whom exclaimed, "Ginny! What are you wearing! That doesn't even cover your stomach! Go change!"

Blissfully ignoring him, she continued on her way to the Great Hall. On her way, she met quite a few passersby that ogled her new outfit, but she kept walking confidently, keeping her chin in the air, and entered the hall. A look of disbelief passed over Hermione's face as she sat next to the girl, and she began reprimanding her, "Ginny, has Ron seen you? Either he hasn't, or you've completely ignored him. That is very inappropriate, I thought you had more class than that!"

Ginny smacked her fork down onto the table and rolled her eyes, hearing the hushed whispers all over the hall, "Drop it, already! For once, I wear something that doesn't cover me to the point of invisibility, and it's nowhere _near_ being inappropriate! This shirt goes down well enough to my thighs, and if that isn't enough for you, get bloody over it! From now on, I will dress how I want to dress, and I will do what I want to do! And don't get to thinking that any one of you," she glared around the hall, "or Ron can stop me from doing so. I think I look good, and that is quite enough for me."

With that, she lifted her fork again and stabbed her pancakes angrily. Hermione's eyes widened, and she backed off, turning to Dean and Seamus. Angrily disregarding students' looks and undertones, Ginny finished eating and left to go outside, making a show of pulling the shirt up a little higher.

She approached the lake slowly, watching the waves ripple across the water in a peaceful motion. A tall, blond figure stood behind a tree, throwing rocks across the surface. His gray eyes watched her for a moment, before he hurled another rock. Ginny grinned, noticing his attempt to show off, and sat down on a nearby log.

Malfoy's eyes fell on her and he smirked, giving a low whistle; Ginny's dress had come up well above her thighs, and she pushed it down, blushing. He drawled, "What's got you changing your miniature wardrobe?"

Ginny glowered at him before retorting, "That's none of your business, and the size of my closet isn't something you should be concerning yourself with."

Malfoy's smirk widened, "And what's got your knickers in such a twist?"

"Don't concern yourself with my knickers either, Malfoy. If I ever decide to confide in you, I'll tell you," Ginny snorted, tossing her own large rock across the lake. The blond nodded, impressed, and sat down beside her. "I sure hope that time never comes, but even if it does, trust me, I wouldn't give you the time of day."

Ginny nodded, her eyes glossy, and stared out over the water, breathing deeply. "Well, then, for your own sake and mine, I assure you, the day I go to you for advice will be the day Hermione marries Dumbledore."

"Aw, now, that's no good, is it? Stranger things have happened, right?" He grinned, giving her a little shove. Ginny was startled by his sincere smile, but rather than smiling back, she glared, "Don't expect me to comment on that."

After a momentary pause as they sat, watching little fish swimming by, he murmured, "You just did."

Ginny smiled, looking away, and replied, "Do you often come down here before breakfast and hurl things at the lake?"

She saw the older boy shake his head out of the corner of her eye and then heard his quick retort, "Do you?"

"As you can see, I only threw one rock, and that was only for the company. Besides, does it look like I am dressed for the occasion?"

They were both quiet for a moment, before he demanded, "Do you trust me?"

Ginny was only a beat behind, "No."

"Then why are you talking to me as if you don't think I could hex you right here and wouldn't tell anyone? You must trust me on some level, because you aren't biting my head off right now, and every moment you spend sitting next to me is more blackmail I have against you."

She gazed into his eyes quietly and said, "So it is. And for you as well, no?"

He looked away before he stood, pointed his wand at her and she was suddenly jerked up, standing a few centimeters away from the rushing water. He took the spell off and grabbed her arms, slowly lowering her over the water. She didn't shriek, she didn't resist, and only stared at him with wide brown eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

"No," came her curt reply even as her dress began touching the water, and then he stopped. He held her right over the water, eyes gleaming, and watched her. She blinked slowly up at him, waiting, and he smirked, "Yes, you do, Weasley."

Then, he released her arms, and she opened her mouth to shriek, awaiting the cold water to envelop her, but nothing happened. She was still standing in an odd position, bent over the lagoon, not falling. She looked to the side, staring at the water under her, and whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

Malfoy grinned, a meter away, and Ginny clambered into a poised appearance and stepped away from the lake. He was sitting again, playing with some grass beside his feet, and Ginny stood over him, staring at him angrily, "What the hell is your problem?"

He looked up, expressionless as ever, and Ginny rolled her eyes, stomping away. She didn't realize just how much her wet clothes were clinging to her body, and Malfoy smirked.

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_**And if you skipped over my story update at the top, please go read it, it's important!!**_


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